Dodd hopes Democratic race is wrapped up soon

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT)

Published
7:00 pm EST, Sunday, February 24, 2008

"It's obviously getting to a point where people are speaking pretty loudly," Dodd told reporters after a speech to the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce. "Eleven contests. My hope is that we'll get closure on this pretty quickly."

Dodd dropped out of the presidential race after a poor showing in the Iowa caucus. He said he plans to make his endorsement before the party's national convention in Denver and hopes the Democratic contest is wrapped up well before then.

Both candidates are focused on the Ohio and Texas primaries March 4.

The two states offer a total 334 delegates, and former President Bill Clinton has said publicly his wife probably needs to win both of them if she is to win the Democratic presidential nomination. Obama currently has 1,362 delegates to Clinton's 1,266.5. A total of 2,025 are needed to secure the Democratic nomination at the party's convention in August.

Recent polls show the race in Texas to be a statistical dead heat. In Ohio, polls show Clinton with a narrowing lead.

Dodd stopped short of endorsing either candidate Monday, but said he hoped the nomination would be wrapped up before the national convention in August.

Dodd dismissed consumer advocate Ralph Nader's announcement Sunday that he is launching a third-party campaign. Nader, a native of Winsted, says the top White House contenders are too close to big business.

"It's sort of a yawn," Dodd said. "Eight years ago he cost Al Gore the election, no question about it. But I think people learned a very painful lesson."